Cheers and Jeers: May 3, 2013

Friday

May 3, 2013 at 4:59 PM

A great accomplishment — Playing in the NFL is a dream to millions of youngsters who grow up playing football.

A great accomplishment — Playing in the NFL is a dream to millions of youngsters who grow up playing football.It remains a dream for all but the very best. So it is incredible that our area has not one, but two athletes who are getting the chance to make NFL rosters.Former Assumption High standout Jordan Mills, who played offensive lineman for Louisiana Tech, was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL’s draft last weekend by the Chicago Bears.And former E.D. White standout Chase Clement, who played tight end at LSU, was signed to a free agent contract by the New York Giants.Both of these athletes have shown how to excel at the highest levels they have reached up until now. There is every reason to think that work ethic and success will carry over to the NFL, where they face their next exciting challenges.Good luck to both — not that luck plays into it, when there is all that hard work, dedication, talent and God-given ability already part of the equation.

Try, try again — State Rep. Dee Richard, a Thibodaux independent, made an admirable attempt to open up some governmental records to public view.Unfortunately, the effort seems to have failed for this year. Richard, though, should remain open to bringing the matter up in the future.Richard’s bill would have removed the “deliberative process” exemption to public records laws that currently allow the governor and state departments to hide records that could otherwise be public.Although the exemption is meant to be used to shield some records in the governor’s office from public view, other agencies have displayed a troubling trend toward secrecy by invoking it.“It has become sort of a virus, and now it’s spreading around and we think it’s harmful,” said Public Affairs Research Council President Robert Travis Scott.Richard should take this defeat as inspiration for keeping his attempt alive in future legislative sessions.

A worldly cause — Rebecca Templeton knows a lot about the unique challenges and difficulties facing the local bayou communities.And she is taking her message halfway around the world to spread it to an international audience.Templeton, executive director of Bayou Grace, a Chauvin nonprofit group, will participate later this month in Deltas 2013 Vietnam: World Delta Dialogues in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.The conference is being presented by America’s Wetland Foundation and Vietnam National University, which are trying to encourage a dialogue about watershed management, an issue that confronts our local communities as much as any in the world.“For all of us to effectively meet the challenges that sea level rise and climate change create, the more connections we can make nationally and internationally, the better,” Templeton said.Here’s hoping she has a safe and productive trip.

Leeville commission — State Sen. Norby Chabert, a Houma Republican, is pushing a legislative plan to create the Leeville Fishing Village and Cultural Preservation Commission.The commission is a great idea, one that deserves the state’s support. Leeville is an important local community, but it is in real trouble. Following the opening of the Leeville Bridge, the traffic that once passed through town now avoids it entirely.The commission would help the community push itself as a tourist draw based on the incredible fishing that is found all around it.This is a good way to help local folks help themselves.

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